Sexist Women

Ladies this one is for you, and me. I’ve noticed that many of my young, independent, female friends have really sexist ideals about men. Many women today are self-sufficient, but I do feel that certain unreasonable expectations do pervade when it comes to the financial status of the men we date. Many of these financial expectations, like having an impressive job, driving a nice car, affording vacations, we are not even imposing on ourselves. It’s as if some of us are caught between the 1950s housewife and the 21st century do-it-all female models of society. Are we saying to ourselves - "Oh boy, it’s nice that we can accomplish all these things, but isn’t it so much nicer when our man does it instead?

Men should not be expected to afford to take us to a fancy restaurant. If they can, and that’s their lifestyle, then sure. But, I personally hold a rule that I do not let the guy pay for me unless we are in a monogamous committed relationship. Otherwise, we split the bill. It’s not okay for a guy who we barely know to buy us a $100 meal unless you are willing to do the same for them. If it’s a first date and he takes you somewhere expensive and you can’t cover your share, then pay for some of it at least, even if he’s loaded. We can’t be angry at men who shower us with presents and then have certain expectations in return. We know exactly why they are doing it - because they are trying to impress us, sometimes sadly the best way they know how, and the way they think will be responded to most effectively. Sure, it’s nice to receive presents and expensive dinners and shopping sprees but unless you're a charity case, or it’s being reciprocated then you're putting yourself back about 50 years in the struggle for female equality.

If we continue to play second string in society and act like it’s a man’s world, then that’s exactly the way it’s going to be. Men should not be expected to drive and have a car when you don’t even have your license. Put on your big girl pants and go get your own car; if you can’t afford it quite yet, then don’t expect that he should be able to. You can always take a romantic bus ride together.

Being treated well and being treated like a lady does not mean a man needs to spend a lot of money on you. If a man can impress without waving his wallet around then he’s got my attention. Ladies, men are constantly responding to our mercenary and superficial expectations and then we get upset when a relationship still feels like it’s lacking. It’s because many men haven’t had the need to work out their romantic muscles. Men who do not have money sometimes don’t even make an effort because they already feel defeated. So like a peacock, the men with money and status flaunt themselves around introducing themselves by saying their name and their title at the company they work for, ordering the most expensive champagne at the bar. Sure, these Bay Street babes look shiny but let’s not forget we’ve got feathers of our own to fly. (corny but hey, it gave you a visual)

What really counts is someone who is kind, respectful, thoughtful and loving. (I'm sure you have your own list.) A man should be able to prove that he has value and can add value without tangible things and that’s a rule for all. You should be able to prove that first and foremost in any relationship.

In society men are still expected to be the primary providers but I think we need to get out of that mentality and ask ourselves why IS it like that? There's an alternative way of thinking? Now, I’m not saying that we should scrap some of the more traditional the models: A man being the sole breadwinner and a woman being a stay at home mum is a fine model if one chooses that path - I’m just saying we should change our expectations to give a broader spectrum for other models to exist.

The only way women can truly harness their independence and understand their limitlessness potential to succeed, despite of societal restraints, is to shake off these antiquated expectations that are laid on men; expectations that are sometimes so ingrained in our psyche it’s difficult to fully identify. As young women if we already expect men to afford things we can’t then we’ve already lost the battle. Our twenties is usually the time we are focusing on our careers and if we expect the men we date to be in better financial standing than us, then we are in turn expecting them to be doing better in their jobs and careers than us; The same jobs and careers we may be vying for. Just think of men and women as two humans (I know mind boggling) starting out on an even plane (again, ground breaking) and although we can be aware of the realities of this world, think beyond that and free ourselves and our men of these expectations we place on them, only then we are capable of changing our perceptions, able to affect our realities and in effect a true paradigm shift in our worlds.

Race versus nationality and citizenship

I just finished reading an excellent article in TorontoLife about how the next generation of kids in Toronto are quite a mixed-up bunch. Let me explain. The city’s wonderful diversity is slowing transforming Toronto into a melting pot of multi-race, multi-cultural and oh so very unique kids.

Being from the Caribbean I’m ecstatic to see this transformation happening and soon the face of the world will be more beautiful than it’s ever been. Having parents from opposite sides of the world must be invigorating.

However, I noticed that there needs to be some clarification on the difference between nationality and a race of people. Actually, I’ve noticed the need for this clarification for years while living in Toronto.

The first thing is you can’t be mixed with Trinidadian and Canadian, or be half Guyanese and half African. Why? Think about it, what does that really mean? That you have dual citizenship? I understand that people use this to explain their roots, but it’s also used to explain what races someone might be mixed with and that’s where it gets confusing. You can’t be mixed with citizenship.

Here’s a quick history lesson on the Caribbean as I feel it would shed some light on this discussion. Also since I'm from there it's the best way for me to get my message across.

If you’re not familiar with the Caribbean it’s very similar to Toronto in terms of the various races of people living in the same place who have all come from different parts of the world. When Columbus discovered the West Indies, along came the British, Spanish and French plantation owners. Plantation owners brought hordes of slaves from Africa to work on the plantations, this is why a large demographic of Caribbean people are black as their ancestors are directly from Africa. When slavery was abolished many indentured workers were brought in from India and then some from East Asia and Portugal in smaller numbers. Let’s not forget the natives who were already living in many of the islands like the Caribs and Arawaks.

So you see, people from all over the world immigrated to the archipelago of islands we call the Caribbean just as people from all over the world have settled here in Toronto.

I’ve heard my friends say with a puzzled look, “He looked like he was Indian but told me he was Caribbean,” or “She looked white but she was Caribbean.” Now you see it’s not so puzzling afer all.

Just as by saying you’re from Toronto doesn’t reflect your race and you can’t really say you’re half Torontonian because that could mean your ancestors were from any part of the world, or you were born in any part of the world. If you were born here, you’re Canadian and that’s a beautiful thing to be embraced. I understand that such diversity in a city causes a certain feeling of fragmentation in a society and in its people. So, we grasp at the puzzle pieces we have to create an identity for ourselves to give us roots where we don’t feel like we have any. And so, we say we’re half Trini, when in fact our father was born in Trinidad and he left when he was 18 and you’ve never visited. It makes us interesting and exotic to make those delineations, I get it. But me obtaining a British passport and becoming British doesn’t make me anymore British than Madonna.

I’m Black (African), Indian, Amerindian (Guyanese Native), Portuguese and possibly some French, Dutch and East Asian I’ve been told. My great, great, great grandparents were slaves, indentured workers, slave owners and Guyanese natives. I’m Guyanese. Saying that I’m Guyanese only means that I was born there. I am mixed races. Yes, that’s a thing. In Guyana when filling out forms about your race there’s a box that says mixed races. Then you can check off the races that you are mixed with and there’s a separate box to state your nationality. I think Canada needs to implement this box, not only in our paper work but in our discourse about diversity.

To wrap up, I may sound like I’m being a know-it-all, but I’m just so darn proud to be so mixed and that Toronto and the world seem to be becoming one big melting pot of all the beautiful races of the world. I think it would be great for people to understand their heritage more, and know exactly what it means to be from somewhere else or from right here in Toronto. I also think it’s great that people who are second or third generation want to identify with their heritage by saying they are half Trini or Jamaican, but when translated it’s as if someone is saying they are half East Asian… so does that mean you are Chinese, Japanese, Korean? It’s just so unnecessarily vague and a slight effort would lend some much needed clarity.

Before I get the third degree from everyone, I don’t expect people to stop saying that they are half this or part that, I think the discourse will evolve naturally. We have to describe our heritage somehow and in the best way we know how, I’m just saying there’s room for improvement. You end up having to explain yourself anyways when you say you’re Trini then I ask what part of Trinidad you’re from, or your parents, or anything and you don’t know…. That's a knowing where you came from fail right there.

I consider myself a Torontonian, and saying that takes on the same meaning as saying I’m Caribbean. I’m a part of this wonderful twirl of cultures, swishing and swashing together, but, if asked my nationality it’s Guyanese, if given the opportunity to add a bit more detail– my ancestors were African, Portuguese, Amerindian and Indian, and that’s why I look so funny .

Let me be a hippie for a second and say maybe we get too tied up about where we are from, we are citizens of the world, and hopefully one day we will care as much about where we are from as we do where the flowers in a garden are from.

Funny story on perception- As a kid living in Guyana, I was bullied for not being black; in Toronto I’m constantly referred to as black. Cool beans.

Also check out that TorontoLife article
http://www.torontolife.com/informer/features/2013/02/12/mixie-me/

Image courtesy Mixed Babies on Tumblur.

You seem like an unemotional b*tch, you're hired!

After a short, let's call it a sabbatical... I'm back out on the job market and the pickings are slim, almost as slim as the narrow-minded perspectives of some hiring employers it seems. I showed up for an interview today and here's what happened: After about 5 minutes into the interview, the hiring manager, with a baby face and an infectious smile looks at me and says, Tashika, you seem like you got what it takes to work here(not verbatim)"I don't want to say the "B" word" but...," he pauses and gives me a cheeky nod as if to say well you know what I really want to say. I look at him perplexed, confused, insulted and dumb-founded not believing that he has just indirectly or rather directly called me a "bitch." I reply, my eyebrows still turned inward, "Oh! do you mean I seem very single-minded." I stretch out the syllables hoping he would correct himself and catch on that I've intentionally chosen a word that does not in fact begin with the letter "B"; or give him a chance to redeem himself and use a different sort of "B" word, like: yes you seem "bright" "bulbous" "bingo" "britches" - anything but "bitches" really. He continues, "Sass! That's it! you seem like you have a lot of sass." I reply, "Well I guess I do..." (What I really think to myself) Sorry! Please... you can "sass" my a**. Now, I was completely caught off-guard by being called a "b-word" by a prospective employer albeit in his own ape like way he thought he was giving me a compliment. And honestly, I was almost willing to let it slide, not slide so far that I don't share this ballistic anecdote, but, I probably won't have been motivated enough to pound away at my keyboard. What he said next just heaped on the layers that quickly solidified his behaviour of first class chauvinism and how insane I was to think of letting his comment waste away in a sidebar. He continues interviewing me seemingly oblivious and enthusiastic as ever, apparently in his mind we are now best friends, trapped in the 40s or possibly gangster rappers. He says, "You don't seem like you get very emotional." He's beaming at this point and so pleased that he has been able to extract this inner most working of my personality. I awkwardly reply, "well, I guess I've heard that before..." as I tilt my head the way a journalist does trying to solve a math problem. He continues and says, you know you need a certain type of woman to be in this industry. Huh!?? Do I have wax build-up? Am I being Punk'd? Is this a social experiment and I'm behind some really cool glass wall being observed by McMaster grad students? Am I in the matrix? Probably...all of the above. I'm at a lost here? What would you have done? What is the right protocol in this situation? What would be considered under-reacting and over-reacting and why? I finished my interview bewildered; I can honestly say I've only been bewildered a few times in my life and this is one of them. I was called back for a second interview which I showed up for but then turned down. In addition to the job not being a right fit in numerous other ways, I couldn't get his words out of my head. I felt like I had been in a time warp and it makes me sick to my stomach that a young man, not much older than I am, sitting in an office in Toronto, born and raised in this wonderful country was capable of spewing such backward garbage. This is the dirty underbelly of sexist attitudes that still pervade and are being perpetuated in the workplace. We all know the stats, if you don't read it here, and we know that women are only now within the last few years just making significant progress on a large scale of acquiring equally in the workforce. So, please leave and let be the feminists of my generation; let them yell and blog and tweet about women's rights so as to balance the scales out, because honestly, enough isn't being done. And, to all you naysayers that women need to stop complaining, it's those attitudes of complacency that leave the ponds of change stagnant and soon smelly and festering with sores that we thought we had long gotten rid of, but, ever so often the pus oozes out. Today, the pus oozed out. Image courtesy Microsoft Office.

Hello one year later

So I've decided to return to the world of blogging, although I never truly immersed myself in the culture I've been aching to write and so write I shall. Although my blog is called thejournlistadiaries, in review, I've noticed I have yet to pen in true diarist form, don't worry, I won't, or at least I shall try not to. I do intend on ranting and raving on occasion and relaying an anecdote or two in the most candid way possible.

From Sacred to Sexy

Bare legs and nuns' habits, a sexy sleek model draped in black and white with reverently pursed red lips and an almost full nun attire struts down the runway at New York Fashion Week.

For years designers have been using sacred Catholic symbols and plastered them onto tight t-shirted canvases, slipped rosaries around their necks and emblazoned crosses as they please and with little or no backlash.

You can walk into any H&M or Aldo and purchase a "rosary necklace", it's become quite the staple in fashion accessories, as it is a staple for Catholics during their devotional prayer time.

"I don't think it's appropriate at all, for people who the rosary holds great significance, it's not a fashion accessory, it's a devotional prayer, it's part of who we are as Catholics.," said Neil MacCarthy, director of public communications of the Archdiocese of Toronto and a devote Catholic.

In Canada there are over 12 million Catholics, over 800 priests and over 500 sisters in Toronto alone but there hasn't been any major recorded backlash or objections, according to the the Archdiocese of Toronto, from the Catholic community when sacred symbols are turned in sexy sales for the masses, and not the type of mass that happens at church.

The soothing aroma of incense, the reverent sound of “Ave Maria” ... and the trendy designs by Givenchy? It was Catholic optional last year at the Givenchy show, where the designer embraced/exploited the ecclesiastically obsessed and just last week, in addition to nuns habits', the caps of Catholic cardinals made a special appearance in the Victoria Beckham collection.

On record only one pair of Canadian designers have famously ventured into this realm of expresssion but have not done so on Canadian soil. In 2005 Dsquared went all out, pews and all, as models in (possibly) blasphemous t-shirts that read, "Jesus loves even me".

"Religion is so passe, it controls the weak. Its an easy way to seem edgy, I guess. Fashionable? No," said top Canadian designer Evan Biddell.

The Fashion Design Council of Canada (FDCC) do not have any stipulations for designers against using any form of religious inspiration in their collections but encourage creative freedom said Samatha Ventresca of the buyer relations department.

Although many of the designers who use Catholicism as inspiration in their collections are themselves Catholic, their motivations are unknown. However, if a designer’s intentions for using certain religious symbolism could be known, you would have educated consumers, unfortunately however this may also take away from dramatic effect.

The habit is ‘“the ensemble of clothing and accessories that make up religious dress. It can also mean specifically the robe like tunic or dress that is the main garment worn over the body’.” It symbolizes a new personality or state in life according to “A Nun’s Life Ministry”. The purpose of the Rosary according to the “Rosary-Centre” is to “help keep in memory certain principal events or mysteries in the history of our salvation, and to thank and praise God for them” and it is discouraged and considered disrespectful to be worn as a necklace.

“I think it is a bit of a shame when a sacred image gets translated into or gets "dumbed" down, basically taking away what is scared from it and digressing it, tearing it down to be just an object; it's an injustice toward the sacred piece,” said Lisa Canning, a former stylist turned notable interior designer for HGTV.


“There is a lot of power in the voice of communities and the same thing with religious groups when there is anything anti-semantic, the community is very quick to take arms and stand up and I think we have to do the same,” said Canning.

So why no backlash?

Although individuals are shaken when they see these symbols and motifs being misused and misrepresented nothing more than the rare complaint to a leader in the church has been made, and on occasion a letter for a request to remove a product based on sensitivity has been written.

"They ( the Catholic community) are a tolerant community ... there has been a handful, just a small number, of instances that it's ( the use of scared symbols being used in secular fashion designs) been an issue" said MacCarthy.

Father Brian Clough “was revolted by the Lady Gaga video, where she winds up towards the end of the thing dressed as a nun but he says, “ … putting some kind of restriction on them( the fashion industry) is something that just won't work.” The music video is called “Fernando”.

From the postmodern rebellion of the 80's the fashion world has been inundated with Christian religious symbols and has slowly become a staple in pop culture. A natural desensitization occurs and things that may have been a statement soon become a non-issue thus reflective of the lack of response from the Catholic community as a whole.

But “There should always be that respect for the other person...(but) I'm not pushing down the throat what I hold dear for others, I think it’s a fair request and not only for the people of the Catholic faith but it can be for people of any other faith,” said Father Christopher Cauchi.

For some the issue is an obscure one because they are not part of that demographic that these products are geared to and for them a potential issue is a non-issue by default.

And sometimes you just need to turn the other cheek, “We don't want to feed into these things also, we have to weigh our options, when is it best to come forward or step back, they are trying to elicit a reaction from us and we're not going to go there, said MacCarthy.

Mez (keeping it real)

Check out my little brother doing his thing, keeping it real and making his big sis proud.
Support your local T.O artists!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWyAe-BOgb4

Hip- Hop Showcase of Local Talent

Urban music show, "It's Bigger Than Hip Hop" to showcase local talent at Woo Lounge on Thursday 8th 2010.

Toronto, ON - 7th July, 2010- On Thursday 8th at Woo Lounge, King Alexander Entertainment and partners will be featuring some of Toronto’s best local up and coming urban talent with the “It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop” showcase. The show will begin at 10:30 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. with an entrance fee of $10.00. The event is meant as a pre-show and fundraiser for Youth Day celebrations which will be taking place on July 25th.
The showcase is reflective of the vision of King Alexander Entertainment which is, “To develop and promote Canadian artists (and) to put Canadian artists on the world stage,” said Alexander Harding, CEO of the company.
The night will feature performances by Jay-Kellz, Brookz, J-Perez, Teddy F House, Bianca, Element, Advent Children, and Jade's Hip Hop Academy. There will also be live art by Sponsors Hector Savage & Fuel of The A Team Laith Hakeem. Over 200 guests are expected at this event as well as special guest speaker Tylaine Duggan who is the founder of Youth Day. The night will also be featuring DJ Law, DJ Eviloution, DJ Tony Blaze and DJ Mike Stoan.

A press conference will be held at 4:00 pm prior to the show at the lounge. Leading local artists, producers and directors are expected to attend.

The 4th annual Youth Day will be held at Yonge and Dundas Square on Sunday July 25th and will be featuring music, dance, art and photography all by local youth. This is an ages event and is free to the public.
For more information on “It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop” contact Tashika Gomes at (647) 678-4070 or visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=139573126056503.
About King Alexander Entertainment:
King Alexander Entertainment is a management company geared at promoting local Toronto artists, with a focus on urban music talent. An entertainment company with a difference, King Alexander Entertainment prides itself on producing artists with a positive message; artists who are involved in the community and have a desire to be an inspiration.
Contact:
For more information contact Tashika Gomes at (647) 678 4070 or email kingalexanderentertainment@gmail.com
###

Karaoke and me

This is *Sarah's Story

The hard liquor streams through them both, her arms are like jelly. He holds her down, her back against the cold leather sofa, his warm breath on her flushed cheeks, she feigns a light giggle and returns his kisses. His hands creep beneath her little, black dress as he presses his drunken body weight on her. A faint laughter enters the room; it’s her boss, drink in hand, the night is going well, his customers are happy. But Sarah isn’t; so embarrassed by having an audience; she escapes the grips of the well-dressed Chinese man and seeks refuge in the dimly lit lavatory. Unknowingly, his footsteps have traced hers and soon there he is, in front of her, unzipped and exposing his most private parts to her.

Sarah was fed-up; fed-up of being broke and of not being able to hold a steady job while trying to stay in school. She was tired of turning to friends for help or government funding, so she decided to be a karaoke girl at “Chicago.” She confesses it was pride that lead to her decision and the money sounded good too. In the summer, girls can make up to $600 /week working part-time. But no karaoke customers means $5/hr pay. About 25 girls work at this lounge; most of them are just over 19 years of age and from Japan without work permits or are international students.

Their job?

“It was like a house party where teenage boys try to see what they can get away with. Your job was to make them have a good time, entice them to drink so the establishment makes more money, and you make more money,” said Sarah.

However, sometimes, the customers, who were not teenage boys at all but middle-aged sometimes married men, would feel entitled to grope and fondle the karaoke girls. The girls, who are expected to drink as much as possible with the men, are sometimes too drunk to resist their progressions or too afraid to loose the men as their customers. If you piss them off they might not choose you from the line-up next time.

“Despite it being very shady, it felt sort of safe, not completely safe but I felt that he wasn’t lying about prostitution because he said that he actually had kicked people out for expecting that,” Sarah said about the job interview she had had with owner.

In a brief interview the owner he denies even having karaoke girls working at his lounge.

“My opinion about women working in places like that is that it is really up to the women. Just as long as they are not forced, then they can do what they seem fit at the moment. I've learned from my experiences, that people in the end will do what they think they should do,” said a fellow church goer and long time friend at Sarah’s church.

In Canada places like this are illegal and one would wonder why a young lady who is a Canadian born would choose to work in a place that she could be arrested for working in and fined up to two years in prison. Her friends, the few she’s chosen to tell, were all surprised of her job at “Chicago.”

“She did have choices. I think she could have went about it differently,” said a close friend of Sarah.

“I do now know of what she did in her past but I don’t view her differently since she has told me about this,” said Sarah’s current boyfriend.

At “Chicago” although Sarah never engaged in prostitution herself inside or outside of the lounge she says, “I am not sure if this (the bar) was just a passive excuse for selling sex outside of the bar…because if they (the karaoke girls) were being honest they might get fired for taking business away from the bar” said Sarah.

In Toronto, rub and tug massage parlours are popular in the local news, originating from similar places in China and Korea but whether “Chicago” is a place like this has yet to be confirmed.

The night that Sarah was approached by a drunken customer in the ladies washroom with his pants dropped, was when she felt it was time to leave “Chicago.”

Thankfully she was not raped; embarrassed that he had taken it too far with “Sarah” they both ignored what had happened that night and went back to the karaoke room.
That was almost a year ago and today Sarah lives on a meagre government funding whilst continuing to pursue her degree in psychology.

*All real names in this story have been changed .

Fashion Trends Spring/Summer 2010- for the ladies

www.fashionmagazine.com

It’s time to put away the bulky winter knits and slip into something soft and feminine; this season designers have stacked the racks with everything to make the modern women feel strong but soft to the touch; dresses, shorts, soft fabrics, tribal/floral prints, pastels and punches of colour that puts everything else in soft focus.

Some trends have survived for another year-the military trend-others have been revived- the jean look- and as for shoes, an eclectic mix that sounds like a culinary disaster – metallics and wedges.

Those fortunate enough to get the fashionista’s preview last season at LG Fashion Week Spring/Summer are sure to be well prepared for this season, whether it be for the 70’s retro look, 20’s inspired details or minimalist glam.

“I loved Katrina Tuttle and Coccolily, it was so feminine, edgy and not too provocative" said Cindyrella Miranda, a backstage volunteer at last season’s Fashion Week, Toronto.

The usual international forerunners have inspired these trends, Lanvin, Chanel and Chloe but “I do find the local designers show a more marketable version of what would go down a runway in Paris. This is not a bad thing sometime(s) but it makes Canadian designers look like they are not as creative with their designs; which is unfortunate because we have a lot of great talent,” said 4th year Seneca, fashion student Danielle Mcallister.

However, just because it’s there, doesn’t mean we want it to wear.

“I think that a softer play on the military wear would be a revival of cargo pants... drawstrings at the bottom made with a softer fabric ...the soft fabric would make it look compatible with the sweat pant look that is in... and could likewise be worn with a heel and a funky shirt,” said fashionista Lisa Banks.

So for those of us who would rather slip into a pair of boyfriend jeans and heels, masculine elements in feminine style are still here. Blazers and leggings, short suits and of course padded shoulders, paired with chunky jewels, are all very tomboy chic.

It may be difficult to predict the weather and thus your duds for the day, but with just a few staple pieces should keep you in the fashionable clear. Here is a list of 10 key investment pieces for this season and where to go to get them:

*Denim- LOVAS Wesley Badanjak
*Black Blazer(fierce shoulders optional)-Aritzia
*Statement necklace- Lucian Matis
*Floral- Joe Fresh
*Pastel– great finds at Urban Outfitters
*Boyfriend jeans- H&M
*Tribal wear –Dare to Wear Love, produced by Hoax Couture, finale show last season with top celebs in tribal wear. Designs by LIDA BADAY and PRICE ROMAN
*Wedged heels- Aldo
*Comfy jumpsuit – Jessica biffi
*Underwear as outerwear -NADA
*Neutral glam- Aime




Go to Fashion Television for all the shows and latest trends.

RSU Elections

No rallying for students with disabilities at Ryerson Student Union and executives elections

Donna Ryder at RSU elections
(Ryerson University/Tashika Gomes)

Tonight, Ryerson Student Union directors, presidents and committee members gave up their seats as new representatives were elected. However, the only person rallying for better services and representation for students with disabilities was Donna Ryder, who sat in a wheelchair.

“There are students with disabilities who are paying RSU fees who are not getting services that are fair. We’re being discriminated against constantly, we’re being oppressed constantly,” said Ryder who is running for course union director .

The prospective electives were asked to give a 2 minute speech indicating their platform and ways they plan to improve student life before the voting process took place. However, there was no mentioned of improving conditions for students with disabilities. Various topics were repeated by canidates, such as, bringing the various student groups together for joined events and
making media equipment and room-bookings more accessible.


Events displayed at RSU elections
(Ryerson University/Tashika Gomes)

Ryder also claims that the annual Ryerson Parade and Picnic does not provide an accessible float for students with disabilities, but instead they are told to use the disability bus. She also mentioned that for this year’s student protest Drop Fees Campaign, although there was a disability bus, it was blocked with a sign.

“Are they ashamed of us?” asked Ryder.

“I would have preferred as the course union director, if she had come to me. That’s what I was there for; for students to actually voice their opinion to me. Students who came to me about their event problems or their grants or room booking, I actually came and helped them but this is the first time I’m actually hearing about it (students with disabilities feeling as though they are not well-represented by the RSU)….,” said last year’s Course Union Director David Hoang.

He also said, given the opportunity he would have had a survey to evaluate what students were interested in pursuing and would meet other groups to discuss this issue.

"I never heard this concern from any executives… now hearing from you, I wouldn’t say that’s it’s a shock, but I’d be willing to do something, if first I’d heard about it,” said Hoang who represents more than 40 course unions.

Ryerson's course union president for social work refused to comment on the issue.


Students at RSU elections
(Ryerson University/Tashika Gomes)

I See You...

Anonymity

For some, being able to remain somewhat anonymous on various internet forums has protected their privacy, retained their professional integrity, opened an opportunity for constructive freedom of speech that does not effectively exist anywhere else and overall give a sense of protection from all those crazy bastards out there. To the creepy old man or the ex-boyfriend stalker, anonymity on the internet is gold. This double edged sword has also given opportunity to the closet KKK member to proudly admit to some heinous race induced crime on his Blogspot account.
In recent times the issue of anonymity has risen to the surface, forcing the public to rethink what they post on the internet most notably Facebook and personal blogs. In mid-August last year Rosemary Port’s identity was revealed after a defamation lawsuit by Canadian-born model Liskula Cohen, who was the unfortunate subject of her anonymous blog. This year, an anti-Mayor Larry O'Brien anonymous blog, zeromeanszero.blogspot.com is currently in court after a petition to reveal the blogger’s identity, after being accused of posting defamatory content on the blog.
Apparently, anonymity does not exist. If needed or petitioned by someone on legitimate grounds the police can easily trace everything you have ever posted on the internet using your IP address and other amazing technology they won’t tell us about. Does the public really recognize this or have they bought into the world wide web of smoke and mirrors? Should we, the public refrain from putting certain content on the internet or should our identity be protected no matter what?

Buried Alive by Shirky

We are in the midst of a revolution. For many, this may be exciting, indulging yourselves with loads of tech candy but for newspaper journalists, this shift has them shaking in their unemployment boots.
Clay Shirky, media guru, believes that although the newspaper industry may be falling to bits (of course, some of them putting themselves back together again online), that the important thing is to save the newspaper journalists who, essentially, matter the most. Like most tragedies, not much could have been done to prevent the demise of this cherished institution. He also mentions that we have shifted from “save newspapers” to “preserve an institution,” so I asked a second-year journalism student at Ryerson University, if and how he would save this industry.
“Definitely, I think that’s our vocation and our calling that we have to save media. We have to save journalism. Right now it’s broken; right now it’s in danger of not existing (newspapers). I’m hoping that we find a way to do that but I don’t know how,” said David Thurton, who has worked for the national newspapers publication, the Trinidad Guardian.
He would like to see a world in which online and print news coexist.




(picture from google pics)

The White Doves

The White Doves from Di Dinnis on Vimeo.

Rub & Tug is Legal in Rhode Island!



Coming Soon- A story of karaoke bars, similar to this one, right here in Toronto.



Asian woman (google images)

“Thinking the unthinkable,” Clay Shirky

Crime and Punishment

Does the Punishment fit the Crime?

"Each year, Canada spends $13 billion on policing, courts and corrections..." reveals "Crime and Punishment" of The Star news online.

If those figures caught your attention, then you will definitely be interested in a fairly new website that gives an inside and very detailed look on crime and punishment in Toronto. Founder and well-renowned photojournalist, Jim Rankin spent 7 years working on the site. Most of his time was spent trying to get every criminal record he could get his hands on, something he says, is an on-going process.

The site, which includes an interactive game where you get to be the judge of a real life crime, also gives a detailed analysis and statistics of those with criminal records in Canada.

Rankin holds the view that prevention is better than cure,“If we spend early, (referring to spending money programs that help those more likely to lead a life of crime) we’re going to save money and fewer people are going to be sitting in jails and cells. (We) should take this money and invest it in other things, example for single mums.”

In the United States, they are people serving unjust sentences for misdemeanors such as possession of a single "joint". Canada seems to be "cracking down on crime" and following suit, filling up the jails and spending about $255/day for Federal jail per prisoner.

TheStar.com: Crime & Punishment


This site intends to educate the public about what is the state of crime in Canada, how the government is dealing with the issue and gives readers a chance to rethink how they view the ways in which criminals are punished.

Higher Grades needed to enter Universities in Toronto

Student at University



In Toronto, the recent surge of college and university applications also means more competition and thus the need for higher grades at entry level. However, even with the right grades, schools may not be able to accommodate the increase of freshman hopefuls.

"I’m hearing there’s going to be a huge bulge in university applications in two or three years," said Ken Lavigne, registrar for the University of Waterloo to The Record.

Universities, like Ryerson, will be forced to either expand or turn away student hopefuls. In the 2009 Ontario Budget, universities were given generous funding but this only maintains the standard so that they could forgo eliminating courses or increasing class sizes that were already operating at maximum capacity. With the state of the economy and the continuous increase of student applications many hopefuls may not get the chance to attend the school of their choice.

According to The Record, even schools outside of Toronto have become more competitive.To get into an arts program at the University of Waterloo, for example, students now need grades in the 77 to 78 per cent range. That’s up from 75 per cent just a couple of year’s ago.

This means that although you may have an A average, you should give yourself many choices when applying to universities or colleges.Toronto is the main preference for many students because of the location but many may be forced to attend universities in other cities, which may pose other complications for potential students.

Increase in univerisity applications means increased competition.In addition, lack of funding for schools means they may be unable to expand as needed and thus unable to meet the demand of new students.

(image from www.allonlinehighschools.com)

Check out these links for more information:
http://news.therecord.com/Life/article/650256
http://notes.ocufa.on.ca/OURIssues.nsf/0/560E5A9FB2EB093485257599006E15E4?OpenDocument

T. Gomes

ADD ME !!!?????????
Somehow it’s difficult to think back to a time before Facebook, for some of us it’s downright impossible because you’re only 6 years old, but what if it were to disappear one day when we tried to log on, would we all just sit there lost and alone?
What did we even do online before Facebook, YouTube, MySpace and MSN messenger? We live in an age of “crackberry”, Facebook-junkies, YouTube-fiends and Google is a verb and of course Twitter, which just a short while ago meant the light chirping of birds, now means something completely different. Check out Twittonary! I contemplated posting an article of a flashback of 2009 for my end of year blog entry, but wasn’t sure if you needed to know anymore unnecessary things, like the fact that the random guy you meet at that club who is now on your friendslist, is “so into his Wii”. What is it with our insatiable desire for useless information? Is it that we are all so void of real human contact that we try to over compensate by spilling the minutest details of our lives on the internet, or that we all think our lives are so very interesting or maybe we are all just the friendliest people history has ever seen! I wonder, will we all soon just explode from information overload or will we slowly evolve into more advanced humans by stretching our brain capacity and finally using more than 10% of it. My memory is foggy and non-HDish when I think back, what did we do when we couldn’t obsessively check our emails 500 times while at our desk doing that “proposal” our boss ordered? I’m glad that I’m in the time of the information boom and not in the time that our psyches go KA-BOOM! The antidote, “More Face-time” and less Facebook time. Or at least read a real book people. Someone really funny and not so smart said,” soon we are all just going to evolve into a head and an a**, (and hopefully some fingers) because all we do is sit on our backside in front of a screen. And I predict our a** is going to be much bigger than our head.
I miss the 80’s, or what I remember of it, (I was 5), it was a simpler time ( at least for me ) , Nintendo was cool, you couldn’t walk around with your computer, and it was very difficult to misplace your phone booth sized cell phone. You know there’s a problem when, talk show host Ryan Seacreast goes on Larry King and is checking his blackberry every two minutes. You have to say, "Dude, you’re on Larry King!" There should be a warning or disclaimer when you sign up to these social networking sites, or even when you get an internet connection: "Warning may cause A.D.D."
Now I can’t be totally harsh, Technology is awesome and vital and blah blah blah, but take it with a grain of salt people. It’s supposed to make life simpler. We need to refocus because no one, other than the odd stalker, really cares about what you’re thinking/doing, right.. this.. moment. Unless of course you’re Taylor Lautner or Megan Fox because they seem only capable of thinking/doing very sexy things.

Twilight Sucked - Again!

It's not like I was surprised, but for a moment I thought, maybe this is more than just a horrible pubescent crazed fad like the Jonas Brothers. I thought, maybe New Moon might live up to the hype. Wrong! Now to prove my point, ask anyone who likes the movie and they will also voluntarily add, "Taylor Lautner is hot!" So okay, I will give you that (not so much the vampire boy though- he's kind of gross) but come on people, just admit it, you all just want to see Bella have sex with someone. They're confusing the crap out of these kids with all heavy breathing and sexual tension between the trio and then they end the movie with, "will you marry me?" ;which I applaud by the way,that's an awesome message, waiting for marriage. But does Bella really need to breathe so hard all the time? And did they have to replace all the parts where a good script should be with Titanic music? The movie had great potential but why they didn’t make use of it, I don’t know? Well, maybe they knew they could do a half-a** job and still make over $250 million in the first week (cha ching!).
( pic from http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/phenomenal-breaking-records-new-moon-doing-dark-knight-midnight-numbers/)

Toronto Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 BACKSTAGE PICTURES, YOU WON'T SEE ANYWHERE ELSE!

Backstage with the biggest celebs, including Canada's new queen of R&B,Jully Black, last year's So You Think You Can Dance Winner, Nico Archambault and MTV's, Jessi Cruickshank and of course the hottest models to walk the runway this season!

(I own the rights to these pics)

Rihanna -Style Icon

(pic source www.accesshollywood.com)

The whole shoulder pads are in again hadn't got me convinced until I saw this picture. Now I'm not too sure I can rock this, but Rhianna sure did.It almost looks like an ad campaign of some sort.
What's your take? Would you wear these shoulder enhanced jackets??